


At the Sign of the Anomaly

by Annariel



Series: Primeval Meets Lord of the Rings [2]
Category: Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, Primeval
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), POV Female Character, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-02
Updated: 2013-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-23 08:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/620357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annariel/pseuds/Annariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Helena Ramsey, occasional  vet to the anomaly team, is summoned to inspect a pony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Sign of the Anomaly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rain_sleet_snow](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=rain_sleet_snow).



> Thanks to fredbassett for beta reading and the loan of Finn and Lyle.
> 
> Helena Ramsey belongs to rain_sleet_snow. I'm not sure who is responsible for Ross Jenkins (EDIT: bigtitch apparently) though I know he was rescued from Doctor Who.

Helena leaned on the wooden fence and looked at the horse standing in the field beyond, a short way from a glittering anomaly.

"Why did you summon me here at five am again?" she asked Lyle, who was standing next to her, looking vaguely imposing and clutching a rifle.

"Is that a horse?" he asked.

"Yes. Next question?"

"Are you sure?"

Helena looked back at the horse. From this distance she judged that it was probably more a pony than a horse. A nice little brown pony, though on the elderly side. It took several steps forward as it moved to a fresh piece of grass and she frowned.

"What's happened to its leg?"

"Dunno, maybe dinosaurs?" Lyle almost sounded hopeful.

Helena sighed. "Who owns this field? Does it belong to them?"

"A Mr Wainwright and no. There was definitely no horse in his field last night. Are you sure it's a horse not some ravening pre-historic monster horse?"

Helena snorted. She stepped onto the style by the fence and swung her leg over the wooden bar. "It's not a horse, it's a pony, and it's hurt its leg."

She dropped down onto the springy turf and marched out across the field.

"Helena Ramsey..." Lyle started shouting and then clearly changed his mind and ordered Ross and Finn into the field as well to cover her.

"Here, boy," Helena approached the pony carefully, reaching out a hand to start rubbing his face and then move gently up and over, down his neck and leg.

"Is it some kind of early pony?" asked Finn curiously.

"No, in fact I'd say he's used to people. He's not spooked by us at all." The pony stood quietly under her hands and she could see a long scratch up his right fore leg. It looked as if he'd got caught in brambles or something similar, but it also looked like it had been treated with something. It wasn't infected and although the pony flinched when she touched it, he let her examine it. Then she gently lifted up the hoof and wasn't surprised to see a horseshoe neatly nailed underneath.

"Good boy," Helena said, standing upright and giving his nose and neck another fondle.

"So?" asked Ross. He was glancing anxiously between her and Lyle who was standing on the other side of the fence glowering at them.

"He's a perfectly normal domesticated pony. If he came through the anomaly then there are clearly people on the other side, sufficiently advanced people that they have blacksmiths and horseshoes. Go and tell Lyle he's perfectly safe, but we should get him back through the anomaly."

"Are you going to take him?" asked Finn.

"I'd like to, but let's not upset Lyle too much." Frankly Lyle could go and take a running jump, but Helena didn't particularly want to make Ross any more uncomfortable. She was fairly sure they'd allow the pony back through and didn't mind waiting while they went through whatever procedure they had.

Ross jogged back over to the style and conferred with Lyle.

"Do you think it's the future?" asked Finn.

"I don't know, it's a pretty recognisable horse shoe. I wouldn't think anything of it, if I came across it in my normal work. So I suppose it could be the future, or any time in the past hundred years or so at least."

Ross finished talking with Lyle and header over once more. "We're to take him through the anomaly, but come straight back," he reported.

"Come on, boy," Helena placed herself by the horse's neck and gradually turned him around in a circle.

He started a little when he saw the anomaly, but she shushed him gently and then began to urge him forwards. After a moment or two he started to walk with her. Ross and Finn fanned out cautiously on either side of her, keeping a wary eye out.

Helena wasn't sure what she expected going through an anomaly to be like. There was a slight tingling in her skin, as if static electricity was running through her. Then she was standing in another field, on a slight rise. An earth and stone road ran between hedgerows at the bottom of the hill and then curved around a second hill beyond. Small single-storey cottages ran along the edge of the road and, as Helen squinted through the early morning haze, she got the impression that there were doors and chimneys embedded in the far hill.

"Bill!! Bill!! Where are you boy?" The voice broke her reverie. The pony gave a little start in her hands and a pleased whinny and then it set off at a careful trot across the field. Helena saw a little man, or perhaps a child climbing over a style at the far end.

"There you are, Bill," he said as the pony came up to him. Then he looked across at Helena.

Standing next to Bill, Helena could tell he really was only the size of a child but his face looked more mature under a shock of reddish brown hair.

Helena raised her arm and waved at him, meaning to head over and discuss Bill's leg. But Ross placed a hand on her arm.

"Best to leave them be, I think," he said.

"But Bill's leg."

"You said it had been seen to already. I'm not sure where this is exactly, but it's always been our policy to disturb things as little as possible."

Helena looked back to the small man with his pony, and the vista of neat fields and cottages that spread out before her and up the hill. It all looked incredibly peaceful.

"Yes, maybe," she agreed sadly.

She waved once more and was pleased to see the gesture returned. Then she allowed Ross to guide her gently back through the anomaly.


End file.
